The paper analyses the recent supply side developments in France, Germany, and Italy by employing a non-parametric approach to estimate potential GDP. The analysis reveals marked heterogeneity among the three countries with regard to the contribution made by labour input. Where similarities can...

This paper provides evidence that the choice of the foreign exchange regime is not of first order importance for achieving high output growth. It is argued that due to the forward looking nature of the foreign exchange market, exchange rate stability hinges on the current and anticipated...

This paper proposes a new model-based method to obtain a coincident indicator for the business cycle. A dynamic factor model with trend components and a common cycle component is considered which can be estimated using standard maximum likelihood methods. The multivariate unobserved components...

Cross-country growth regressions have become an increasingly common tool in empirical development research. But these regressions typically do not attempt to distinguish among countries in different stages of development. Two empirical methods are used to test for such differences. Several of...

In the first years of the eurozone debt crisis, European governments were busy struggling to achieve short-term financial stabilisation of banks and entire countries. Now, after the OMT programme and other stabilisation measures have calmed investors, attention has shifted to two issues:...

The economic power of the euro countries should be strengthened by growth incentives, in the form of an additional European growth fund, which should also be funded by financial transaction tax revenues. The current level of debt requires a strengthening of government revenues. Taxes must be...

The 2010 European debt crisis has revived the discussion concerning the optimum adjustment strategy in the face of asymmetric shocks. Whereas Mundell's (1961) seminal theory on optimum currency areas suggests depreciation in the face of crisis, the most recent emergence of competitive...

Aufbauend auf einem von Kaldor 1967 entwickelten Ansatz wird der Einfluss der Industrieproduktion auf das gesamtwirtschaftliche Wachstum untersucht. Eine Querschnittsregression mit Daten für 121 Länder bestätigt im Grundsatz Kaldors These, dass Wachstumsraten des Bruttoinlandsprodukts von...

Die Nachfolgestaaten des früheren Jugoslawiens haben in den vergangenen Jahren beachtliche ökonomische Erfolge erzielt. Die Wachstumsraten lagen zumeist bei 5 bis 6 Prozent jährlich, die Arbeitslosigkeit konnte deutlich reduziert und die Inflation stark eingedämmt werden. Der Rückstand in...